Nammos Beach Club Mykonos

Who said the Greeks don’t have money? Fly to Mykonos, arguably the most exclusive of all the Greek islands and Greece’s answer to Ibiza, and have a look at Nammos Beach Club & Restaurant. Here, you can watch überwealthy Athenians in fashionable swimwear dining on 110-euro-per-kilo lobsters and jetsetters spraying Cristal (yes, you read it right!). Add a helipad on the cliff, swanky super yachts and €5,000-a-day cabanas (no, they’re not made of gold) and you have a billionaire territory. On the sexy & sunny island of Mykonos, it won’t get any more over-the-top than this. It’s just the extreme opposite of what you expect in a crisis-hit country like this.

You can find this piece of unrealistic Greece down a windy road on the edge of a golden stretch of sand in pretty Psarou Bay. Well-protected from the wind, Nammos Beachclub Mykonos boasts a beautiful view of the island’s rocky landscape and the shimmering Aegean Sea.

Whether you’re relaxing on Psarou beach or partying under the hot sun, fun is guaranteed. Furthermore, people-watching is a ritual here. In high summer, Nammos’ beautiful sandy bay transforms into a hedonistic party zone with crowds flirting and dancing the night away.

Nammos Beach Club & Restaurant used to be our favourite beachclub and long-lunch spot on the Cycladic island of Mykonos. But, what happened? Since its start in 2003, it has been extremely popular and now it’s just losing its soul and charms. Apart from being overpriced and overcrowded – think countless tightly packed sun-loungers -, it’s all a little bit too flashy, brashy and even trashy when you look at their level of quality. In fact, places like Scorpios, Alemagou, Solymar and Panormos with a more laidback-luxe, nonchalant feel and offering better food & service are nicer options.

What about the Mediterranean-inspired food? We have mixed feelings about that. The risotto, probably a signature dish, was okayish. On the other hand, our salad was so bland that even a rabbit will not eat it and 30% of Nammos Mykonos’ menu was not available. “Homemade’’, “fresh” bread from the freezer? Maybe Gordon Ramsay should drop by to reorganise the kitchen. And, yes, our expectations are always sky-high and our cooking skills are absolutely not chefs-table-worthy, but these chefs have to go back to cooking school. The service? Fine, but slow and slightly arrogant.

To cut a long story short, we’re not sure yet if we want to go back. Nammos Beach Club Mykonos really has to rectify its quality & attitude problem, otherwise it will be game over very soon. It might be advisable to avoid high season when it’s a selfie parade of the botox, the bling and the beautiful. If you still want to try it, pack your designer sunglasses, miniscule Missoni bikini plus couture cover-up and find it out yourself.